


Paying Respects

by afteriwake



Series: A Past Love [24]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-05
Updated: 2012-07-05
Packaged: 2017-11-09 06:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/452364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock finds himself at Rory Williams’s grave to pay his respects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paying Respects

Sherlock had begged off to go take a walk for two reasons. The first was that he wanted to get some fresh air, and the second was that the older Mrs. Williams was dropping some subtle hints that she would like some time alone with her daughter-in-law. He felt going for a nice long walk would be beneficial, and based on the look on her face he had scored some points with her.

He hadn’t gone back to Leadworth after that summer twenty years ago, and he found not much had changed. Essentially it was the same place it had been back then. There had been a few changes: the movie theater was larger, the stores were different, but he found his way through it well enough. Word had spread that he was back, and dating Amelia, and he found the scandal of his leaving all those years ago was now fresh in other people’s minds again.

He walked about the town and found himself near the cemetery where Rory Williams was buried. Leadworth was large enough that it had two, and he walked around a bit looking at the older headstones. Places like this fascinated him. When he found he was moving towards the more recent headstones he started looking for a very specific one. He hadn’t really paid attention when Amelia came here the day before. She had gone to see her husband’s resting place and he had stayed a respectful distance back.

He knew talking to a tombstone didn’t really mean anything. Still, he wanted to pay his respects to the man who had taken care of Amelia and given his life to keep her safe. It didn’t take him long to find Rory Williams’s tombstone. The roses Amelia had left the morning before were wilting, but they looked fresh compared to the dead flowers on the graves to either side. He stood at the foot of the grave and read the marker.

“We met, once, twenty years ago,” he said after a moment. “I found you to be an annoying brat. I suppose we didn’t get off to a good start, but even then I could see you loved Amelia. You could have given her something I couldn’t. I didn’t like you because if she was with you and not with me then she could be open about her relationship. I envied you.”

He ran a hand through his hair slightly. “You came in and filled up the void my parting had left in her life. She’s told me that you were there when she wept, that you came along when she went to London to try and find me, and you were the one who talked sense into her when she wanted to do crazy things. And eventually she grew to love you as she had loved me, and you made her happy, something I could not do then, no matter how much I wanted to. So I wish to thank you for that.”

He stopped, thinking about how idiotic he might look, but he continued after a moment. “She’s done so well since I found her again. You and she had an incredibly smart daughter. I’m sorry you didn’t get to raise her yourselves, but you should be proud of her. She knew what would get me to start looking for Amelia. It was too late to save you, but not too late for her. I know I spent many nights listening to her pour out her love for you on the phone. I may have been her first love, but you were her rock. She told me you waited nearly two thousand years protecting her. I don’t know if I could have done the same, so I think that may make you the better man.”

He cleared his throat slightly. “I promise I will take care of her. I know a bit about what our future entails, thanks to your daughter. I know that we have many years together, and I will love and cherish her. I got a second chance, but this Amelia, who has loved someone and been through the loss brought about by death…she wouldn’t be this way if it hadn’t been for you. Your love changed her into a remarkable woman, and I don’t know if she would have been the same if I had stayed in her life. So thank you, and do not worry about her. I hope she never forgets you, because you deserve to be remembered.” He turned, and saw Amelia standing behind him. “How much did you hear?”

“Just the last bit,” she said, and he could see tears in her eyes. “I came looking for you and old Mrs. MacPherson saw you come in here. I figured you’d end up here.”

“I felt the need to pay my own respects,” he said, looking down slightly.

“I know. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped. I mean, you didn’t listen to what I had to say when I was here yesterday. But I want to tell you, it’s not that one of you is better than the other. He may have protected me for two thousand years but you didn’t believe I was dead. I know if it had had been him he’d have done exactly what you did. But you hadn’t seen me in twenty years, Sherlock. You didn’t have to look.”

“I didn’t want to believe you were dead,” he said quietly.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then went over to him and took his hand. “I love both of you so much for different reasons. You’re both incredibly special to me. And I like to think he’s glad you’re watching out for me, that I don’t have to be lonely anymore. I don’t think he’d want me to be sad and alone, mourning him for the rest of my life. But I do promise I’ll remember him. I won’t forget him.”

He entwined his fingers in hers and held her hand tightly. “If we ever have children, and if we ever have a son, I would not be averse to naming him Rory.”

She let go of his hand and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He put his arms around her and held her close. “I think Rory would have liked that,” she said, her voice muffled because her lips were buried in his coat. She pulled away and looked at him. “Rory William Holmes. I like that name.”

He let go of her and took her hand again. “Do you want to go back to your mother-in-law’s home?”

She shook her head, tightening her grip on his hand. “Let’s go to my parents house, get our things and go home. It’s been a long enough visit.” She began making her way out of the cemetery and he followed, keeping a tight grip on her hand. If he could he would never let it go again.


End file.
